MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE IN TWO TYPES OF MUSCULAR ACTIVITY BY BICYCLE ERGOMETER

The oxygen consumption during physical exercise is necessarily dependent upon the load on the muscle and also on the mass of muscles at work. In the present study maximal work has been performed by legs and arms plus legs in pedaling bicycle ergometer.Thirteen healty male students were studied. Group A consisted of eight Judoists, aged 18-21 years. Mean maximal oxygen uptake and max O2 uptake/kg for this group were obtained 3.41/min and 44.7 ml/kg/min respectively in legs bicycle exercise. Group B consisted of five long distance runners, aged 19 years, with mean max. O2-uptake of 3.31/min and max. O2-uptake/kg of 57.2 ml/kg/min.In arms plus legs bicycle exercise, max. VO2 and max. VO2/kg were an average value of 3.81/min and 49.8 ml/kg/min respectively for group A. For group B max. VO2 and max. VO2/kg averaged 3.61/min and 62.6 ml/kg/min respectively.Group A 12% significantly higher values for max. VO2 was attained in arms plus legs cycling (P<0.01), but group B 9% higher max. VO2 when arms plus legs cycling than when legs cycling was actually not a regular finding in the group. Max. VO2/kg in legs cycling was an average 9-11% lower than that on arms plus legs cycling. The differences were statistically significant for group A and group B.Only in group A was max. VO2 a little higher than in group B for legs cycling, but the differences was not statistically significant. Max. VO2/kg was statistically significantly higher in arms plus legs cycling with both group. In group A max. heart rate, tidal volume and O2-pulse were higher in arms plus legs cycling. Then max. heart rate and tidal volume were significantly higher in group A than on group B.